Richard paddling for a good cause

Wednesday

Jul 17, 2013 at 11:26 AMJul 18, 2013 at 1:15 PM

SOMERSET — When Derek Richard went out to California for a cousin's wedding, he saw some people at Laguna Beach on their stand-up paddleboards. He did not think much of it at the time, but when he got back home to Somerset, he started thinking about it and wondering if people did the same sport in local waters. With a little research, he found out that they did, and took some lessons down in Narragansett, R.I. That got him hooked on stand-up paddling.

George Austin

SOMERSET — When Derek Richard went out to California for a cousin's wedding, he saw some people at Laguna Beach on their stand-up paddleboards. He did not think much of it at the time, but when he got back home to Somerset, he started thinking about it and wondering if people did the same sport in local waters. With a little research, he found out that they did, and took some lessons down in Narragansett, R.I. That got him hooked on stand-up paddling.

"It's great exercise," Mr. Richard said. "You're outside in nature and fresh air. You get a different picture of the land from out on the water. It's peaceful."

The longest distance Mr. Richard has traveled on his paddleboard is 20 miles. He said anyone can do five miles on a paddleboard, but said it would take them a long time and they would be sore after.

"It's definitely challenging," Mr. Richard said. "You have to be in great shape. You have to have the muscle tone for paddling which you get by doing more and more paddling."

Mr. Richard, who is 42 years old, said people who paddle have to get used to getting in and out of the water because they fall off their boards during a balancing act in which they have to watch the currents and the waves in the water. And there are also other obstacles. When he trains along the Taunton River, he hugs the shoreline so he stays out of the way of fishermen, recreational boaters and kayakers.

"I saw a couple blue sharks while I was out in Newport," Mr. Richard said. "They didn't bother me. They were just doing their thing, but it's creepy."

Mr. Richard competes in paddleboard races. He was planning to race on the Charles River this week. He is currently training for the Cape Cod Bay Challenge, which will be a 34-mile paddle from Plymouth to Wellfleet on Aug. 17. The event is being held to raise money for Christopher's Haven, which provides free apartments and community space for people from outside of the state or country who travel to the area so that their child can be treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"You meet a lot of nice people," Mr. Richard said. "You have a lot of fun and you raise a lot of money for this cause."

Those who would like to donate money for Christopher's Haven in the name of Mr. Richard's participation in the Cape Cod Bay Challenge, or have questions for him, can email him a message to supsrf@gmail.com. He said there are about 100 people participating in the challenge at this time and their goal is to raise enough money for eight to 10 families to be able to stay at Christopher's Haven for several months. He said they have a goal of raising $1,000 each for the charity. If his daughter ever had a problem that required him to be at the hospital for her, he said he would want someone to do the same for him.

"This allows these parents to stay with their kids and see them daily and not have to worry about having a place to stay," Mr. Richard said. "And their kids will be smiling when they see them."

Mr. Richard started training for the Cape Cod Bay Challenge in April. He traveled four miles on his paddle board in the beginning and has been increasing that distance by two miles every couple of weeks. His training has been done on the Taunton River. He said he will go up to 30 miles on his paddle board before the Cape Cod Bay Challenge. He said he has been building up his muscles and getting used to standing on his board for long periods of time as he trains for the event. He said there will be a mental challenge to the event because he will be on his board for so long.

"You just kind of think of why I'm doing it and the ultimate goal," Mr. Richard said.

For the Challenge, Mr. Richard said there will be a lead boat, a boat in back of the people on paddleboards and boats on the sides of them. He said there could be fishermen, whales or sharks out in the water where they will be traveling.

Mr. Richard said there are paddle boards made for traveling on flat water and for traveling on surf and waves.

"When I'm doing a lot of distance, I'm probably going at four miles an hour," Mr. Richard said when asked how fast he can go on his paddleboard. "When I do the challenge, we'll be going 3 1/2 to four miles an hour. When I do a race, guys that are bigger and faster than me, will go 10 miles an hour."

Mr. Richard, a 1989 graduate of Somerset High School, is an account manager for an insurance company. He said he tries to do one long paddle during the week and then two other paddes that are about 10 miles each.

When he is paddling, Mr. Richard wears a vest on which he carries an inflatable life preserver, a hydration pack with two liters of water, a compass, timer, clock, fruit, Power Bars, a light beacon that he can use to let people know he is coming if there is fog, and a whistle that he can blow if he needs help.

"I carry my cell phone with me and my head phones that I listen to music on to break up the monotony," Mr. Richard said.

Mr. Richard's paddleboard is made of an apoxy material. Other boards are made of carbon, wood or fiberglass. Mr. Richard said a starter board can cost about $750 with the paddle.

Mr. Richard said the popularity of paddleboarding is booming. He said he has seen about 20 people in Somerset with boards.

"It's probably going to blow up in the next few years as a water sport that anyone can get into," Mr. Richard said.

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